For cat lovers all over the county this is like a late Christmas present.

For the first time a huge cat festival will take place in London this year and it sounds purrfect.

CatFest 2019 will showcase a mix of celebrity cats, cat speakers, animal experts and one of the biggest ranges of cat goodies and merchandise around.

Visitors will also get to meet famous cat author James Bowen who wrote the best-selling A Street Cat Named Bob books - as well as Bob of course.

There will be lots of beautiful cats to admire (Image: CatFest 2019)

Feline fans are encouraged to come in fancy dress - time to dust off your old Halloween costumes.

You can even get cat-themed cocktails, fabulous feline accessories and tasty vegan street food.

CatFest 2019 is in Beckehnam - just an hour away from Chelmsford.

Here are just some of the highlights of CatFest 2019

Famous cats

Some celebrity cats will be gracing visitors with their presence at CatFest.

These include:

Artemis and Apollo - a pair of glamorous Maine Coon cats who share their travels with their 114,000 followers on social media. In recent years, they’re travelled to Paris, Budapest, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to name but a few.

Starina Esperanza - a supermodel white British shorthair kitty with one blue eye and one green. Known as the cat with David Bowie eyes, Starina has worked with Stella McCartney, Vogue and Tatler and she’ll be strutting her stuff on the Howler accessories stall.

Prince Renegade - he is a rescued, former show cat and is now one of the stars of the Katzenworld magazine.

Britt Collins - a journalist and author who will be discussing her new non-fiction book, Strays: a Lost Cat, a Homeless Man and their Journeys across America.

Gwen Cooper - a best-selling author of many cat books. Gwen will be showcasing her new book My Life in a Cat House: True Tales of Love, Laughter and Living with Five Felines.

There'll be something there for fans of every breed (Image: CatFest 2019)

Special guest appearance

Giles Clark will be at the event too. Giles is the presenter of the popular TV show Big Cats About the House on the BBC. This series looks at the lions, tigers, leopards, panthers and other big cats who live at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent.

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Animal experts

Dr Jeremy Campbell - founder of The London Cat Clinic, Jeremy will be talking about feline nutrition and illness.

Shawn Simons - a Hollywood producer who has rescued and re-homed thousands of feral cats.

Anne Heslop - a photojournalist who moved to Morocco for a quiet life but ended up rescuing and campaigning for the country’s vulnerable street cats.

Aman Kanwar - a young vet who loves animals so much he has put his life in danger to rescue animals from rogue farmers and drug dealers.

Look at this pretty puss (Image: CatFest 2019)

Meow Parlour Lounge - find out about adopting a new cat by visiting the lounge, where you can talk to the teams from EHRAM - a charity which helps Moroccan street cat and Freshfields Animal Rescue in Wales.

Mews Market - visitors can enjoy a huge range of goodies including vegan street food and cat-shaped cakes and cupcakes.

Pussycat Lounge - a vintage airstream which has been converted into a bar serving cat-themed cocktails.

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Meet the stars of A Street Cat Named Bob (Image: Hodder & Stoughton)

Here’s everything you need to know about CatFest 2019

Where is it?

It is at Beckenham Palace Mansion, The Mansion, Beckenham Place Park, London BR3 1SY.